World champions India dropped a place to third position in the Reliance ICC ODI Championship table after its dismal performance in the triangular series in Australia.

The continuous failure with the bat cost Indian opener Virender Sehwag four places as he slid to 18th in the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen but skipper Mahendra Singh moved up by two places to number four.

Even as the cut-off date for announcing the best team draws closer, the battle for the number two spot in the ICC ODI Championship gets interesting with India, South Africa and Sri Lanka emerging as contenders.

Virat Kohli was the highest-placed batsman at third followed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni at fifth but there was no Indian in the bowling top-10 of the latest ICC one-day rankings issued on Saturday.

India got back to second place in the ICC ODI team rankings, thanks to Sri Lanka's two consecutive wins against South Africa in the just concluded five-match series.

Swashbuckling Indian opener Virender Sehwag has jumped eight places in the ICC ODI Player Rankings after his record-breaking double century against the West Indies in the fourth ODI.

Following his consistent performance in the recent past, India's R Ashwin broke into the top 20 of the ICC ODI bowling charts for the first time in his career, while batsman Virat Kohli moved one rung to be placed fourth in the latest ranking released in Dubai on Wednesday.

He may have had a forgettable series in England but man of the series in the 5-match ODI tournament - MS Dhoni - has climbed in International Cricket Council rankings to take the sixth spot.

Following their 7-wicket loss in the second One-Day International against England on Tuesday, India have dropped to the fourth spot in the ICC ODI rankings.

They have lost the tag of number one Test team but injury-ravaged world champions India can climb to second in the ICC ODI rankings if they manage to beat England 4-1 or better in the upcoming five-match series starting on Saturday.